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Conception

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TTC or pregnancy on prednisolone or similar part 11

999 replies

Buzzybee123 · 19/08/2013 22:25

This is a positive thread for all those diagnosed with High or Very High NK Cells and looking to start TTC or already pregnant on Prednisolone and/or Intralipid treatment.

Newcomers very much welcome!

OP posts:
Bakingtins · 16/10/2013 07:07

sue I think everyone is right that it's not a decision to make right now. For us, we are settled that this is the last time, whatever the outcome. I think it must be much harder to reach that point if you have not had children, the impact that this has on us financially and emotionally and the implications for our children has forced our hand a bit. I don't want to look back at my children's early lives and realise the whole thing was dominated by miscarriages and testing. The difficulty is I'm sure there will always be another option, and there are enough success after x miscarriages stories out there that it's very hard to let go of hope.
Take your time to reach a decision you and your family are at peace with.

brownstag · 16/10/2013 11:18

I think you and I are in a similar position, Sue, in that we have one child, and our primary problem now is egg quality. And then we are in a double-bind situation where we need IVF in order to be able to pick the best egg to get over the egg quality problem, but we probably won't produce enough eggs to be able to choose one. So we're forced to carry on naturally, or with superovulation, but the same rubbish eggs keep coming out.

The difference between you and me is that you conceive easily and I don't, and therefore you have evidence of your egg quality; my situation is probably worse in that my eggs won't even fertilise most of the time, but since I have started to conceive this year, I'm now (perhaps unrealistically) hopeful, because I seem to be getting a step nearer. My friend LJ71, who has now given up ttc, had 7 miscarriages, 5 of them on treatment, so this must be down to egg quality. She and I are 42. But she and her second husband have 4 children between them from previous marriages, so it's a little easier to make that decision to stop.

But that's why I'm really (irrationally) hopeful about this treatment I mentioned earlier. If it takes 5 years to develop something that's going to restore fertility, you will still be only 46 when that happens. In my mind it takes the pressure off, if, in theory at least, it's no longer too late.

And like you, I am very scared of having a disabled child, or having to make a terrible decision. If nature hadn't intervened, I would now be 6 months pregnant with a girl with Down's syndrome. That last pregnancy did bring home to me that we were maybe playing with fire at our age.

But despite that personally I think I'm going to always be trying until the menopause intervenes (and then I'm hoping it's reversible!), but that's because I'm not going through miscarriage after miscarriage like you are. I'd almost certainly think differently if I were.

freelancegirl · 16/10/2013 12:24

I have news of my own actually too. A few weeks ago i accidentally got pregnant, ridiculous I know but it was my first period after stopping bf and apparently it's a common mistake!

Anyway I was very happy if cautious and have just been through those horrible early scans, got a heartbeat last week at 7 weeks but found out today the heartbeat stopped two days ago. I've been given the option of medical management - never had that before - and currently weighing up my option. It would have been lovely to just get pregnant and have a baby but sadly for my 6th pregnancy this isn't going to be the case. Not sure why I haven't mentioned it, it was all too stressful and we've had a horrible few weeks, felt really sick too. I did immediately take 40mg of Pred and all other meds but I guess I didn't catch it early enough. A lesson to be learned I guess. I'm gutted but it's gone now and I'm trying to think of lots of nice things to do when not pregnant and things to look forward to.

Bakingtins · 16/10/2013 12:40

Free I am so sorry to hear that Sad

MistressIggi · 16/10/2013 13:02

Free that is such a shame. It is so cruel to have seen a heartbeat and then have that hope taken away. And of course all the questions in your head - but no matter how early you took the meds (or how many!) it may have made no difference.

Really sorry to hear this Sad

Buzzybee123 · 16/10/2013 13:14

free I am so sorry to hear that, and don't apologise for your earlier post, these threads are for expressing views

sue I agree with others that this such a raw time to be deciding things, I am sorry that DE is not option, I think its sad that GP's would treat kids differently. I suppose it is a case of how much you can handle and cope with and the affects it has on your family, your DH has raised his concerns that are valid.
For me I found life coaching helped me look at the big picture, put things into perspective and realise that my life would continue if I didn't have a child. I would love two children but like free and duggs will be happy to be a mum to one. I love my husband and I am aware of the affects that this all has on him as well as me I would be coming to the end of my journey after so many losses

OP posts:
teamdozie · 16/10/2013 14:08

Free I am so sorry to hear your sad news! It doesn't matter if it's the first or the 31st it still hurts!
Thinking of you!
Free regarding medical management I found that better! But I've had 3 ERPCs so anything is better than a general!

VillageMum · 16/10/2013 14:17

Free I am so very sorry that this has happened to you again, hope your obvious zest for life carries you through and is a source of strength in the weeks ahead x

brownstag it's great that you are managing to conceive naturally. Re the new ovary sectioning procedure: I think if there's a treatment out there that offers hope for the future and takes the pressure off ttc, then believing in it is perfectly valid - anything that offers mental or practical support is valid. Who knows? A decade ago NK cell testing was just getting off the ground, and now just look...

duggs, what did your cgh testing involve? Hope you don't mind me asking.

Sue, I don't know you as well as the other ladies here do, so I hope it's ok to try to answer your question. At 44, and after four mmcs and a live birth at 42 which I'd despaired of ever having again, I've come to realise that no emotion is the final one. Trying again or not trying again - there is no right answer. There will always be regrets either way. But I do know this: 41 is not too old. You do have enough time to make the decision that is best for you and your family. Allow yourself the space to get through this mc without committing yourself, and once you have got yourself back a little, your instinct will tell you what the way forward should be. You will wake up one morning and know, 'I can't' - or 'I can and I will'. Hugs to you xx

LunaGL · 16/10/2013 14:49

Free I'm so sorry to hear your news my thoughts are with you and your OH. If there's anything to take away from this, it is that you got pregnant naturally. Maybe by following the same protocol that you did with your DS, the process will be easier once you and your OH are ready to try again. I guess in a strange way I am lucky to have never got as far as hearing a heart beat as it must be so much worse for you and the other amazing women on this thread.

Sue like everyone else I say the same, let you body and mind heal a little before you make any decisions. At 41 you really are not old.

Arianrhod · 16/10/2013 14:58

free So very sorry to hear your news :( sue replied on the other thread.

suemays · 16/10/2013 21:42

free sorry to hear your news too. It might have been a bad egg with you too rather than not taking the immune drugs in time but I guess you will never know. I would be interested to hear how you get on with the medical management as I have never used it before. I am having an Erpc tomorrow morning as hoping to get the fetus tested. There was still enough left today for them to test it as I haven't started bleeding yet.

brown yes sounds like we are in a similar position so I think it will all be down to luck for us in the future. With this new procedure you are talking about re the restarting of ovulation, surely the problem of old crappy eggs will still be there?? I didn't think there was much you could do about egg quality apart from taking dhea and c0q10?

As you know, I had a failed ivf cycle in April as they couldn't get enough eggs and I know you need more for cgh testing so I also think that's off the cards for me. I spoke to the midwife at ZW today and I might try clomid next time rather than letrozole. This is my third loss on letrozole and I have never tried clomid. A friend of mine was on clomid and saw three sacs at her 7 week scan but 1 was empty. Only one baby made it out of the other two and she is now 27 weeks. Clomid forces more eggs out than letrozole so it might help some of us better. I was told some women over 40 have a better response on it than ivf drugs.

I think you are all right that I need to wait and see how I feel in a few weeks. I have to give it a couple of months to get the results back from the Erpc anyway.
Thanks everyone for their answers to my questions and being honest. It gave me a lot of food for thought .

freelancegirl · 16/10/2013 21:54

Good luck with the ERPC Sue. I think I am actually going I have one too. I'm going to EPU again in the morning to arrange. My natural miscarriages have been hard going and long drawn out and I have a sneaking suspicion medical management wouldn't go well. ERPC not much fun either I suppose. Yes could have been one that wouldn't hav worked with or without treatment. I won't be having any testing so won't know.

I guess the good thing about the aftermath of miscarriages is it often forces us to wait a couple of cycles anyway and that can give you time to take stock and prepare for what might be the next step.

duggs1976 · 17/10/2013 06:16

Good luck today free. Sorry to hear your news. I've had 4 ERPC's - 2 NHS and 2 private and I have to say the NHS were excellent. You don't do anything as knocked out. Do you really think this loss might be because you hadn't taken pred in time? Surely if you had got a hb then this is more likely chromosonal ? I guess that is what this procedure is for today? Same for sue and me, I should be getting my results within the next week. They say 4 to 6 wks turn around. Anyway will be interesting to get all 3 results back to see.

teamdozie · 17/10/2013 06:19

Morning everyone! Sue good luck with your ERPC!

I have a question! Just woke up to find (sorry TMI) blood on my liner! Had a wee and it was everywhere! But I have no pain no clots that I could see! And feel extremely calm considering ......
Not sure what to do? Call Louise at Dr S's or see if the EPAU will see me? Not sure I want to go to the EPAU! Every time I've been there it's been bad news!

God what's going on? Is there something in our water? I get so cross cause I wonder who I've pissed off so much!

Xx

Bakingtins · 17/10/2013 07:13

Oh team sending you a hug. Hopefully it is nothing but it is just the worst feeling in the world when that happens. I can really relate to wondering what I did to deserve all this, I'm sure we've all had our share of crap shovelled out by now.
I'd go to EPAU, as presumably they'll scan you today and for free. You need to know what is going on. I really hope it's all ok. Are you on progesterone? That can irritate the cervix and cause bleeding.
Everything crossed.
sue thinking of you today, and free hope EPU are helpful and get you fitted in.

teamdozie · 17/10/2013 08:31

Thank you for the hugs baking

I'm going to call EPAU and see what they say, I am on cyclogest and I have recently upped it to 2 pessaries a day. Louise told me that that could be the cause to the spotting that it has agree aged my cervix so to eliminate that I've been using them rectaly!! Sorry that's disgusting but a must lol! So this morning was a shock'!

I did go to the gym yesterday but I doubt that's what's caused the bleeding!

Yea I think we have all been slapped in the face one too many times in out lives!

X

brownstag · 17/10/2013 08:52

Free, really sorry to hear about your miscarriage. It's a shock, I know, as once you've managed to have a baby you can't help feeling at some level that the problem has now been 'fixed' and you can be a 'normal' person now. It shakes your faith in the treatment too.
Team, really hoping everything is okay.
Sue, I've used Clomid 4 times with no result, once on DHEA. As opposed to one conception in 4 cycles of letrozole. Mr S doesn't believe Clomid helps older ladies and my experience is that it causes such awful vaginal dryness that it's almost impossible to have sex. Trying to do so caused thrush at ovulation too. Plus it thins the lining. Considering my lining was 6.5 on letrozole on the cycle I conceived, I dread to think what it was on clomid. The good thing about it is that I think it causes a 'strong ovulation', gave me a long luteal phase and that effect lasted for the next cycle too. I've never been scanned on it so don't now how many eggs there were. On the other hand, if you've never tried it, you might as well do so. It might suit you.

Bakingtins · 17/10/2013 09:09

Quick question on clexane please - after the first injection which has left me with a massive 2 inch bruise that is still there 10 days later, I took some advice on here and have improved my technique. The last three injections I have got a small bruise (few mm) at the injection site, I think actually from the needle. Is that normal, does it in fact mean the clexane is doing it's job and I'm just clotting less well than normal?

teamdozie · 17/10/2013 10:29

Baking I have bruises from it too! And j think it depends on how you inject that will give you a bruise or not!
I went to the GP for them to show me and I've not really bruised cause I go in at a 45 degree angle into the fatty part!

I had a slip of the hand the other day and I have a HUGE one on my belly!!

I suppose yes if the bruises are taking longer to go then yes it's doing its job!

Arianrhod · 17/10/2013 10:54

baking Yes that's completely normal - I found only when I switched to a much finer needle and used ice (ok, frozen peas :) ) for 20 mins after did I ever get no bruising at all - and even then, I did still sometimes get a very small bruise.

Also watch out for bruising in general more easily when you're on Clexane ... when I was, along with baby aspirin admittedly, I went horseriding for the first time in years and after just 30 mins gentle riding I was left with whacking great bruises all down the inner of both legs which took over 2 weeks to go. Lovely stuff, Clexane :(

VillageMum · 17/10/2013 11:48

team have you managed to arrange a scan at your EPAU?

Sue Hope you get a good rest after your ERPC.

free I've had to have an ERPC with each mmc as I just don't miscarry naturally (once waited four weeks after hb had stopped, with no result - never again). The good thing about it is that it gives you a definite sense of closure and your body gets a clear signal that the pregnancy has now ended and that it needs to get on with things and recover. Can restore fertility pretty quickly too for this reason. Best of luck to you.

Waves to everyone else!

brownstag · 17/10/2013 14:16

And meant to say, Sue, yes the question of this new treatment and the crappy old eggs certainly isn't explicitly discussed in what I've read about it so far. But the fact that they are going to be turning their attention now to infertility in women between 40 and 45 must show they believe it can be done. Plus, if you're removing the ovaries and chopping them up, presumably you can have them in some kind of medium that encourages normal development of eggs, say something that provides a lot of energy, like coenzyme q10. And that might be more effective if applied directly. Plus perhaps they are getting at the eggs at an earlier stage and accelerating that growth, before they can degrade.

teamdozie · 17/10/2013 15:34

Hi everyone a quick update I went for a scan at new life clinic and basically the bleeding has come from twin miscarriage. Which is located right by my cervix. There was a second larger sack with a foetal poll and a tiny tiny heartbeat. I'm measuring right for my dates the only concern they have is that the sack has a small abnormality. And they like it to be even.

So basically they are expecting it to go the same way as it's twin! I'm staying positive! This baby is going to defy all odds!!

Xxx

freelancegirl · 17/10/2013 15:43

Oh my god Team! That must really be messing with your head. What is there to do - just wait and watch?

Yes Village, I'm the same as I think my body holds onto pregnancies. I've had no bleeding or cramping and it's all still intact so I think another ERPC is the best option for me. I was at EPU this morning (which was a weird experience as a woman collapsed in there!) and waiting for a date for the op now.

Bakingtins · 17/10/2013 15:51

Oh Team that must be a really weird mix of emotions. Staying positive with you and willing the little one that is hanging on in there on. Do you still have an appointment for an 8 week scan?